Aaron Rodgers is going to have a terrific season in 2009. There! I said it.

Why? All of the pressure from last season is behind him. He's stacked up 16 games of experience. He understands the offense and has a lot of talent at the skill positions.

Rodgers is truly a great guy. He replaced Brett Favre and did so with a lot of grace and respect for the future Hall-of-Famer. It wasn't an easy position to be put in. Some of the fanatics out there gave him a hard time last season, but I believe he's earned the respect of the fans, for the most part, based on actions both on and off the field.

Listen, I love the Packers and Favre is my favorite player of all time, but I just don't feel good about how he's created all this drama. This is a very frustrating situation that is beyond repair. It's unfortunate that the final chapter of his career is the sort of tragedy.

First, the Packers made the right decision in declining Favre's request to be released so that he can attempt to sign with another team. He's loved by Packer fans and he put Green Bay in a difficult position from a public relations standpoint in his decision to not stay retired. Packer fans kind of want him back, but are also sick of the offseason after offseason of drama that he creates.

Aside from that, the Packers need to move in a new direction with the younger quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers may never play at a level that Favre has, but Rodgers needs the opportunity to prove that. He has been in this system long enough to understand, in theory, how to lead it down the field. That brings me to my second point ...

The system clearly works. Favre was told by the coaching staff last season to play within the confines of it and he did ... and had a successful season as a result. I've seen Favre attempt to place the load of the offense on his shoulders in that gun-slinging style, which has blown up in his face from time to time. However, last season, he was brilliant. Yes, he brings the intangibles (that underhand flick in the playoffs), but I think his success last season was in large part directly attributed to playing within the system.

Rodgers doesn't have much game experience, but his future is now. The Packers also drafted Louisville's Brian Brohm and LSU's Matt Flynn, who could also develop in time. I know that game against Dallas last season, in which Rodgers replaced an injured Favre, may have only been one game, but Rodgers showed leadership and command of the offense.

It gives Packer fans hope.

Rodgers obviously doesn't have the arm strength of Favre, but Rodgers does have mobility and strong decision-making abilities. He is now at that point in which he reads his progressions based on how the defense is aligned and can find the open receiver. As long as he can open it up by throwing it down the field in order to keep the defense honest, I think Rodgers should be able to keep this young and talented Packer offense playing at a high level.

The offense won't skip a beat with Rodgers leading the attack, and he has a lot of talent around him to pick himself up if he needs it.

Let's give Rodgers a chance to prove that and let's see, also, how this Brett Favre thing plays out. I'd love to see Favre accepting that back-up role in the event that something bad happens to Rodgers, who is clearly less durable than the NFL's Iron Man.

Brett Favre became the Green Bay Packers' starting QB when I was 20 years old in 1992. To put that in perspective, he has started every game in my adult life. I was living in Milwaukee at the time and had suffered through years and years of horrible Packer teams.

The year that he took over for Don Majkowki, I purchased not a replica, but an authentic Majkowski jersey. What a horrible mistake. The Magic man blew out his knee or something to that degree and Favre took over. At the time, I was angry that I wasted my money on the Majkowski jersey. I vowed that I would never make that mistake again.

But then, a couple of years later, Favre started putting up MVP numbers, and so against informed judgement, I jumped on the bandwagon and purchased a Favre jersey. Suffice it to say, I got my money's worth out of that jersey and it more than made up for my Majkowski mistake.

Anyone who lived in Wisconsin during Favre's wild years knows that he was always the life of the party -- Mark Chmura, Frank Winters and he living it up in Green Bay and Milwaukee. During his drinking years, Favre used to get behind the bar and serve free drinks to patrons, who absolutely loved him for his fun-loving spirit. He was the life of the party.

Like a lot of us when we were in our 20s, there was a time when partying was the only thing on our mind, myself included. But, there's a point when you realize that there is more to life. What I find most admirable and impressive was Favre's willingness to turn his life around in his late 20s. Favre decided that he didn't want his legacy to include getting drunk and partying all the time. He settled down, got married, had another child with Deanna Favre and became a true role model.

I think that's what I'll remember most about him ... that he grew up like most of us.

Everyone has been mentioning the N.Y. Giants' pass rush as a key to the team's success. However, to me, it's been the consistent play of Eli Manning, who has been very solid in his previous four games. He's playing well and has limited his mistakes.

On another note, the Giants will travel to Green Bay and will have a very good chance of winning at Lambeau Field. The temperature is expected to be very cold, which could benefit the Giants' defense. Everyone knows the secondary is banged up and that Brett Favre will attempt to exploit it. However, if it's cold and if both teams are relagated to running the ball, that's to New York's advantage.